Kota Kinabalu: City Hall has identified some areas in the city to be lit by energy saving bulbs to help save on utility bills this year.
Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir on Wednesday said City Hall would begin the installation of such bulbs like Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs in a pilot project, to determine its viability, soon.
"Certainly the use of LED is much cheaper from the existing lamps É we will not replace them all at once, but the installation will be done gradually, in phases," he said.
Preliminary results of a pilot project in the peninsula, revealed LED bulbs used in 12 government buildings in Putrajaya showed average savings of 10.3 per cent or RM3.5million from January-October last year.
The move could help the Government save up to RM800 million from the RM2.7 billion it spends each year.
However, the cost of implementing the plan is costly, revealed Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Peter Chin.
Madingkir said City Hall also plans to have multi-storey carparks to address the city's parking space constraints.
Admitting the city parking spaces are limited, he said construction of such car parks however, does not come cheap.
"So like I said beforeÉwe need the private sector to come forward and collaborate with City Hall."
Currently, City Hall is also in discussion with some parties to construct the multi-storey carparks, however its execution won't begin this year, Madingkir said.
Meanwhile, Abidin attributed the city's large population of close to half a million - to it having the highest number of drug abuse cases in the State.
He said he had heard the police talking about yearly increases in students involved in the drug menace and the State-level Drug Prevention Action Council, raising concern over the increase in drug abuse cases.
Madingkir added the council also said the city currently has the highest number of reported cases, compared to tother districts.
And in recent years, there have been instances of youths, especially young girls, being used as drug mules to transport drugs by dealers, he said.
"In spite of the harsh punishment, it does not deter some pushers from selling drugs," he said during the closing of a Pemadam programme, here.
Hence, Madingkir hoped City Pemadam will beef up their programmes and prevention measures and that their effort will be aided by other agencies.
"Security issue is also one of City Hall's priorities, as it is stressed under our 5K agenda - Clean, Beautiful, Safety, Organised and Peaceful," he said.
City Hall D-G Datuk Dr Yeo Boon Hai revealed the increases are especially among students under 21, and are caused by the changing lifestyles of modern society.
He also blamed the lack of awareness on the dangers of drug abuse for youths being involved in the menace.
On the Pemadam programme, Madingkir said the Pemadam Women Affairs Bureau's "Cekap" programme, will be the association's first programme for this year.
The Cekap programme, which stands for excellence, efficient, cooperation, trustworthy and progressive, is an awareness programme on the drug menace in the city and directed at principals and headmasters of primary and secondary schools in the city.
A total of 94 participants took part in the half-day programme, which involved two lectures, a briefing and a question and answer session.
"The programme will also allow school heads to pick suitable activities to be introduced in their schools," Madingkir said.
He also hoped schools will organise their own anti-drug activities.
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